


Guide Me Back Home

by ventusphoenix



Category: Uta no Prince-sama
Genre: Light Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Tanabata AU, also loosely based on Setsugetsuka
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-25
Updated: 2019-11-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:42:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21557221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ventusphoenix/pseuds/ventusphoenix
Summary: Flowers bloom and fade; snow falls and melts into spring. The moon waxes and wanes, watching the world turn.Two youth as different as the day and night. They find solace in one another's presence, until the stars spin and force them apart. But once every year, the stars realign and they find their way back to each other.
Relationships: Kurosaki Ranmaru/Mikaze Ai
Comments: 1
Kudos: 24
Collections: Uta No Prince Sama FlashBang 2019





	Guide Me Back Home

**Author's Note:**

> I was given the chance to participate in the Utapri FlashBang ([Tumblr](https://utapriflashbang.tumblr.com/) \- [Twitter](https://twitter.com/UtapriFlashBang)) once again! For the second season, my artist and I took the themes "constellation" and "fantasy" to bring our version of a Tanabata AU.
> 
> It was such a joy to collaborate with [GianaP](https://twitter.com/_p0lar1s) and have her bring the story to life. Be sure to check out the art she did for this story ([link](https://twitter.com/_p0lar1s/status/1198993793220898816?s=19)) and her other works too!

Ai's curiosity is first piqued when he sees Natsuki's smile, beaming as brightly as the moon. Natsuki was known among the other moon spirits for his radiant smile, but even Ai has to admit this is the first time he has noticed him this happy. Even as the sky falls dark and coaxes the stars out of hiding, Natsuki's smile never wavers. He speaks to the rabbits and owls with a fondness Ai can't place, with a sway in his step as he moves among the clouds. When dawn approaches and the spirits are preparing to sleep, Natsuki remains joyous as ever, and Ai wonders for a moment if he's planning on sleeping at all.

The following night when Ai awakes, Natsuki is nowhere to be seen. He looks among the clouds and the stars but with no luck. He finds it odd in light of Natsuki's recent behaviour and makes a note to question him when they meet next time. Ai is preparing to head back when a star dances past his head, warm and almost close enough to skim his cheek. It twirls around him before shooting away, Ai able to make out a larger cluster of stars in the distance. Stars grouping together isn't uncommon, not when he lives among the constellations. But it's the fact that all of the stars are falling out of the sky that draws his attention.

Eyes wide, he makes his over to see what is happening. When he arrives, to his relief he finds that the stars are not actually falling, but more like suspending in mid-air. As Ai stands at the head of the cluster, he notices that the stars form a staircase, lighting the way to a world unknown beneath the sky. Curiosity gets the better of him, and he sets one foot on the first step. The stars buckle a little beneath the added weight but show no signs of falling further, and so he takes a second step, followed by a third. He descends the staircase, the clouds gradually parting until they clear completely to reveal a sight Ai has never seen before. He stares in wonder, unable to contain his awe at the sight below. From this height he can see far into the distance, can see where the world below meets the skies above. Small stars dance in the air, their faint lights pulsing. They move through the air slowly, Ai stretching out his hand to touch one of them. To his surprise, the star's light disappears and immediately flits away from him. He pulls back his hand, squinting at the other stars nearby. Upon closer inspection, he realises they aren't stars at all but tiny creatures that glow in the dark.

As he steps off the staircase, his feet touch solid ground. It's jarring at first as he isn't used to the feeling, having grown up amongst the clouds. But after a while, he finds he doesn't mind the sensation underfoot. Tufts of softness cushion his steps, and the faint warmth beneath is comforting. He smiles and lifts his eyes to the sky, realising just how small the clouds look from below.

"Hey."

A deep voice calls out to him, shaking him from his reverie. Ai whirls around, coming face to face with another boy who looked about his age, perhaps older. His features were strong, his silver hair wild and sticking out in every direction. The colour reminds him of the moon, Ai thinks to himself before inhaling sharply when he makes eye contact. One of his eyes is grey, similarly coloured to his hair. But his other eye is a bright magenta, blinking fiercely as he stares at Ai.

"Hey," the stranger repeats in his deep voice, and Ai shakes his head, regaining some composure.

"Never seen you 'round these parts before," the stranger continues.

Ai doesn't respond, remaining silent while looking for a way out. Out of the corner of his eye he can see the starry staircase spiralling upwards, reaching towards the skies. He wants nothing more than to continue exploring, but also knows it's safer for him to return home now that he has been found out.

"Who… are you?" the stranger asks with a sort of starstruck wonder.

Turning on his heel, Ai flees up the first flight of steps, ignoring the way the stranger calls for him. He runs until he can't run anymore, pausing midway up the staircase to look back. He had half-expected to be followed, but instead he sees the boy staring up at the sky, feet firmly planted on the ground. The way the stranger lets him go has Ai hesitating, caught between staying here and returning home. But before he decides to change his mind, he turns and climbs the remainder of the stairs, disappearing into the clouds.

* * *

The following night, Ai returns to where he had found the starry staircase only to find nothing in sight. He looks left and right, wondering if he had somehow gotten the location wrong. Nothing resembles the cluster of stars he had seen the previous night, and none of them appeared to be falling from the sky either.

"You won't find it tonight."

Ai startles in place upon hearing the sudden voice, turning to see Natsuki walking up to him from behind with an owl perched atop his shoulder.

"What do you mean?" Ai asks, blinking. He can feel the owl's fierce gaze trained on him, its eyes sharp as it surveys him with unwavering focus.

"The staircase," he continues, staring off into the distance.

Ai feigns innocence, pretending not to know what Natsuki is referring to. It hadn't been too late when he returned last night, and he had made sure none of the other spirits were around to ask about his whereabouts.

"A little birdie told me you left the heavens yesterday," Natsuki says, stroking the owl just under its beak. It coos, ruffling its feathers and curling into Natsuki's fingers. Opening its wings, it takes flight and glides over the clouds until it becomes but a mere speck in the distance. Ai watches it fly away, Natsuki joining him by his side.

"I'm sorry," Ai says in a small voice.

"You didn't do anything wrong," Natsuki replies, shaking his head and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Besides, it's just like you Ai-chan. You're always wanting to know more, so part of me knew you would find your way to the earth one day."

Natsuki removes his hand, walking over to the same spot where the starry staircase had been last night. Ai joins him, leaning over the edge of the clouds. A pitch-black sky stretches below him as far as his eyes can see, occasionally lit up by the faint twinkle of stars. Ai takes a deep breath and finds himself wondering just how far he would need to fall until he reached solid ground.

"Until next year," Natsuki says after a brief silence, and Ai hears the faint tinge of sadness in his words. He looks up in time to see Natsuki leaving, but not before he caught a glimpse of the distant look in his eyes as he stared into the vast expanse of night.

* * *

True to Natsuki's words, about a year passes before the starry staircase reappears. He stares at it with the same wonder, as if he's seeing it for the first time again. Stars dance through the sky, flitting around his head before joining the other stars that make up the staircase.

Ai gingerly makes his way down the stairs, stretching a hand out to touch the stars that fall through the sky. The last of them settle at the base, where the stairs pave the way to a field of flowers. A sea of colours blooms before him, a sweet smell reaching his nose while white speckles like flakes of snow float through the air. He watches one of them dip and bob, landing on someone's outstretched finger as they sit surrounded by the blossoms. Ai sucks in a deep breath when he sees the mop of silver hair, a faint smile on the stranger's face.

Ai steps off the stairs, careful not to trod on the flowers near his feet. As if hearing his footsteps, the figure turns his head in Ai's direction. His smile fades, replaced by an expression that's surprised and filled with wonder both at once. He straightens up to his full height, standing in place as he stares at Ai. They stand across from each other, the meadow of flowers stretching between them.

"It's you again," he breathes, his husky voice sending shivers across Ai's arms.

He opens his mouth to speak, but no words come out. He hadn't been expecting to run into him again, not when it had been a year since they first met, if that time could even be called a first meeting. The stranger takes a careful, measured step towards him, eyes not leaving him at all. Ai's heartbeat begins to quicken, his body flinching on instinct and beginning to shy away.

"Wait," the stranger says, stopping in his tracks. "Don't go."

Ai takes a deep breath to calm himself, pushing down the urge to run away. He takes a small step towards him, as if saying he wouldn't leave this time. Seeing this, the stranger takes another slow step, and Ai steels his ground. He approaches slowly, and Ai does the same until eventually they come to stand in front of each other. Ai notices then that the stranger is a couple centimetres taller than him, having to tilt his face upwards to see his mismatching-coloured eyes.

"I'm Ranmaru," the stranger begins, and Ai realises that he's introducing himself. Ranmaru, that was his name. He can't help but be drawn in, curious to know about this stranger and the new world he's found himself in.

"Ai," he murmurs softly, tucking some loose hair behind his ear. "My name is Ai."

* * *

Their first conversation goes for what seems like hours; after getting over the initial awkwardness of Ai's habit of staring for long periods of time, Ranmaru more than willingly tells him about his life on the ground while also sneaking in a few questions of his own. His knowledge about the earth is so vast, Ai almost mistakes him for a flower spirit. But Ranmaru quickly shoots that theory down, though he's still able to tell Ai about the flowers and their various meanings. They lay with the grass cushioning their heads, the wind gently blowing over them while the ground warms them from underneath.

When Ai notices the stars beginning to return to the sky, he realises his time is up and he must also return home to the heavens. As he sits up and turns to Ranmaru, he sees the pained look on the other's face. Ai should have known that he would have to return home eventually, and yet now that he has to leave, he aches to stay. Even though Ranmaru is graciously understanding and reluctantly agrees that he should go, it only serves to make Ai want to stay even more.

"Don't cry," he snickers, much to Ai's annoyance. "Besides, I'll see you again right?"

The words make something warm well up in Ai's chest, the unspoken invitation to come back and Ranmaru sharing his desire to spend more moments like this. Joy bubbles up inside, and it takes him a moment before he's able to come up with a proper response.

"It's a promise," Ai says, and in the depths of his heart he knows for certain that he wants to see Ranmaru again.

"A promise," Ranmaru nods, watching Ai take the first step onto the starry staircase. "Until then, take care of yourself, Ai."

As he ascends the stairs, he finds himself constantly looking back in search for a head of silver hair. It isn't hard to pick out because Ranmaru doesn't move from his spot, probably watching Ai leave with the same fixation. When he's up high enough, he can see just how far the flower field stretches as the first rays of dawn begin to shed light on the earth. He reaches the heavens and watches the staircase fade from sight, the last of the stars returning to their places in the sky. Ai knows he should be feeling tired after spending the whole night out, but his body is still reeling with excitement, and part of him now understands why Natsuki is always so happy around this time every year.

He falls back onto the clouds and can't help but smile, already looking forward to seeing Ranmaru again.

* * *

The following year, the staircase never appears.

* * *

"Looks like rain again," Ai murmurs sadly, standing at the place where the staircase would normally be.

It was a few years ago when Ai learned from Natsuki that for whatever reason, when the rains came down the stars never gathered. By some stroke of luck, for the past couple of years it had always rained on this particular day. It ached, waiting and praying for the rains not to come only to be met with disappointment. Ai sighs, curling into himself and laying down on the clouds. He tries not to cry, wanting to keep his emotions in check. But a choked sob escapes, and then he can't hold in his tears anymore. He sobs quietly, letting his tears fall and join the rains where he hopes that they'll reach Ranmaru somehow.

Ai struggles to understand why he misses Ranmaru so much, given they had only spent one night together. Yet they had gravitated towards each other so easily, like finding a missing half that he hadn't even known was gone. And now that part of him ached to be whole again, but remained broken so long as the rains continued to fall.

Eventually Ai's crying subsides, though he remains curled up next to the clouds. Even though he knows the stars won't be gathering this year, being here makes him feel just a little bit closer to Ranmaru. He had been fully prepared to stay here until the skies lightened, but a chilling wind makes him shiver and he sits up immediately.

"Camus," he murmurs upon seeing the figure who approaches him. His skin is fair white, long blonde hair falling over his shoulders and swaying as he walks. Frost gathers in the wake of his footsteps, his pale blue eyes cold as ice.

"Ai," he nods slowly. His steps come to a halt, frost beginning to settle around his feet. "What's the matter?"

"It rained again this year," he murmurs, and Camus huffs.

"See, this is why we don't make contact with humans," he sighs.

If it had been anyone else, Ai might have been taken aback by the lack of compassion. But snow spirits weren't particularly known for being friendly, preferring to keep to themselves. It was only because Ai had known Camus for as long as he had that he knew he was only speaking out of concern for the younger spirit.

"Before you ask, he's doing fine," he says. "I still don't know why you find him so interesting."

"Maybe if you took the time to get to know them—" Ai begins before Camus cuts him off with a sudden cold gust of wind.

"I won't hear any of it," he says sternly, turning on his heel. Ai watches him leave, until he disappears in a shower of snow. Being a snow spirit, Camus was able to move between the heavens and the earth, though he never stayed for too long in one place. Humans were fragile beings, he had once said, and he was careful to control the cold that he brought wherever he went.

Alone again, Ai closes his eyes and begins to sing. His ballad rings out across the heavens as he pours out his heart, praying that the rains might somehow carry his song to the earth. He sings of smiles and tears, of a meadow of flowers blown by a spring breeze. He sings of a single star within a vast galaxy and a meeting that could only be described as a miracle.

Ai sings until his chest aches, a wave of emotions threatening to overwhelm him. The rains fall even harder, washing away the notes of his song.

* * *

He stirs as something tickles his hair, warm and brisk. He opens his eyes in time to see a star streaking across the sky, followed by several more stars behind it.

"Ai-chan!" Natsuki exclaims, suddenly appearing in Ai's vision. "Ai-chan, quick!"

Natsuki hoists him up by the arm, Ai wincing at the sudden movement. But he quickly forgets about it when he sees a shower of falling stars converging in the distance. His heart skips a beat, and he sucks in a quick breath. Natsuki is already far ahead of him when Ai scrambles to his feet and begins to follow the stars. Hundreds of them streak above his head, creating patterns of light in the sky. Some of them dance around his head, flying alongside him as he runs towards the cluster of stars.

The staircase reappears before his eyes as if it had never disappeared, stars sliding in and filling in the gaps on the steps. Ai stands at the head of the stairs and hesitates, half-expecting it to fade away once the rains start. But it's clear as far as he can see, and so he takes a deep breath and begins to make his way down.

When the clouds part, he can see the earth in all of its splendour before him. He can make out the flowery meadow and the moonlit lake, and towns in the distance lit up by the orange glow of lanterns and candles. It's a magnificent view, and one that he's sure he won't forget for a while. As he continues descending the steps, his breath catches at the sight of another figure ascending the stairs at the same time. Ai freezes in his steps, holding a hand to his chest. He can feel his pulse beating madly beneath his fingers, and he's sure that if it were to beat any faster it would jump out of his chest.

The figure lifts his head to look towards the heavens, and that's when he makes eye contact with Ai. The smile that begins to spread across his face is so full of warmth, Ai can't help but smile as well. They meet each other halfway, lost for words as they simply stare at one another. The face that greets Ai now is older and his features are slightly rougher, but his eyes still look at Ai with the same wonder as always. He stretches out a shaky hand, cupping Ai's cheek in his palm. The contact is warm and gentle, making Ai sigh into the touch.

"Ai?" he asks quietly. "Is it really you?"

Ai can't help but laugh, feeling tears gathering at the corner of his eyes. His fingers curl around his wrist, squeezing lightly.

"It's me… it's me," he smiles, a tear rolling down his cheek. "I finally found you, Ranmaru."

**Author's Note:**

> Come talk RanAi with me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/amagiyas)!


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